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I've updated the first post with new VIN details (which I was able to get by cross-referencing with another list maintained on http://www.fdrx7.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, so credit to the guys there).

I've also managed to find all the missing remote-linked photos which were thankfully archived by the Wayback Machine at http://www.archive.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I've gone back and updated all the pics so they now appear again!

JM0FD103300100050 SP in Brilliant Black just sold at Shannons auction for $112,000

Shannons advertised the car as follows:

Starting with the Cosmo of 1966, Mazda is the only major manufacturer to have persisted with Felix Wankel’s revolutionary rotary engine design and early models like the R100 and RX2/RX3 enjoy a cult following today. It took until the launch of a proper sports car, the RX-7, in 1978 for the rotary to find a home more appropriate to its high-revving characteristics; the first generation model received rave reviews and proving a commercial success, with over half a million sold. The second generation RX-7 of 1985-1991 took Mazda’s sports car further upmarket, competing with the likes of Porsche’s 944, aided by a lot more clever technology and the first appearance of a turbo variant. When Mazda unveiled the third generation RX-7 in 1991, it was clear the model had come a long way from its humble roots, harnessing a complex sequential twin turbo system to overcome lag and deliver linear power all the way to the redline. With perfect 50:50 weight distribution achieved by locating the engine well behind the front axle, the new FD RX-7 also looked the part, with bold new styling. The third generation RX-7 was a bone fide supercar, combining sublime handling, excellent braking and strong acceleration. Although the RX-7 enjoyed a long and successful motor sport career in Australia, issues with unreliability hindered earlier cars from fulfilling their potential, but the third generation RX-7 fared better, winning the James Hardie 12-Hour event at Bathurst on debut in 1992. In order to homologate a revised model for the 1995 Easter Creek 12-Hour race, run as part of the Australian GT Production Car Series, Mazda Australia released the SP, with an intended run of 25 examples slated for production, although it would appear 29 were ultimately made in total at the Kingsgrove workshop, of which 26 were road cars and remaining three designated as race cars. A different intercooler, modified exhaust and new ECU resulted in a substantial increase in power (up to 204 kW) and torque (357 Nm), while other changes included bigger brakes, special 17-inch alloy wheels, a larger 110-litre carbon fuel cell and 4.3:1 ratio rear diff. A significant weight reduction was achieved by using a Recaro race seats, lightweight bonnet, carbon-fibre nose and front spoiler – in all there were some 120 modifications over the standard car, the appearance enhanced by the dramatic rear wing. The SP went on to beat the Porsches at Eastern Creek with Dick Johnson and John Bowe co-driving, backing up with a podium finish in the Targa Tasmania. Compared with the standard RX-7’s list price of $89,505, the SP’s asking price was a hefty $101,610 and today each of the survivors is a highly desirable collector’s item.

Motor magazine has reported here that this was believed to be the last surviving SP in Brilliant Black. This matches our records, as the only other black SP was number #1000035 which was one of Mazda's MMM race cars which crashed.

This example had 83,300km on the clock, which makes the result even more astounding, given the Montego Blue example which sold in 2016 sold for $88,000 with only 22,000km.

Indeed. This kind of makes sense given the rarity and special racing pedigree of the SP within Australian motor racing history. But some of the other results are just silly. Mazdas will always be niche and aren't quite in the same territory as many other brands. The pessimist in me thinks to when petrol is prohibitively expensive and you can't even drive these things. It may not be that far into the future.

Given the changes over stock and limited numbers the difference in price between a stock car and SP was pretty modest.

Given the prices of shopping trolley spwc air cooled porsches I wouldn't be surprised if these continue to rise relative to the rest of the market, even with the smaller audience.

I'm really curious to see how fast the transition to being difficult to own an IC engined car is. If income disparity keeps going like it is it might actually be quicker as fewer enthusiasts will be able to afford a second or third car and I think basic electric cars will get very cheap.

The original post has been amended to clarify the total number of SPs built, based on information supplied to me by Daniel Deckers, the head technician for Mazda Australia's motorsport division and the person responsible for the development of the SP. This appears to clear up any confusion surrounding SP numbers. There were 42 cars built: a prototype, the original 26 road cars built for homologation, 3 race cars, then a further 12 cars built after the race due to consumer demand (but which do not appear to have the same VIN structure as the original 29 road and race cars.